Heretofore, a scanning tunneling microscope (U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,993) has been used for observation of a surface of a solid. It has been applied to atomic scale observation of surfaces of various solids such as metals, semiconductors, organic compounds, and so on, and usefulness of such an application has been recognized. It has been further confirmed that atomic scale working can be performed on a surface of a solid by using a scanning tunneling microscope. That is, atoms on a surface of a solid can be moved, removed or added by controlling an electric field or an electric current between a probe and the surface of the solid.
That is, atoms in a specific position on a surface of a solid can be removed through application of a predetermined voltage between a probe and a substrate. Or, atoms deposited on a tip of a probe can be deposited onto a predetermined position on a surface of a substrate through application of a backward voltage between the probe and the substrate. An atomic scale micro pattern can be formed on a surface of a solid by using the aforementioned operations in combination.